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Aviemore

Hydro power plant in Otago, New Zealand. Approximate location -44.656, 170.3551.

HydroOtagoNew Zealand

Aviemore is a 220 MW hydro power station in Otago, New Zealand. It is operated by Meridian Energy. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 220,251 homes (estimated). It ranks #8 of 43 New Zealand power plants by installed capacity. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 54.8% of New Zealand's electricity; the national grid averages 93 gCO₂/kWh (88.5% low-carbon) (2025).

220MW installed capacity
220,251homes powered (est.)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000302.

Capacity vs largest hydro plants in New Zealand

Manapouri: 800 MW800ManapouriOhau A: 688 MW688Ohau ABenmore: 540 MW540BenmoreClyde: 432 MW432ClydeMaraetai: 352 MW352MaraetaiAviemore: 220 MW220AviemoreArapuni: 192 MW192ArapuniTekapo: 179 MW179Tekapo

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Meridian Energy. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 44.7°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.1°Cannual mean temp
3,256heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
558 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 15 °CJF: 14 °CFM: 13 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 6 °CMJ: 4 °CJJ: 3 °CJA: 4 °CAS: 7 °CSO: 9 °CON: 11 °CND: 13 °CD15 °C

Heating degree-days here run 32% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 70/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #6 largest hydro power plant of 24 in New Zealand by capacity.

New Zealand has 24 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 4,388 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates -44.656, 170.3551 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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